Health Impact of the "Recovery Legal Care" Medical-Legal Partnership
University of Chicago
Summary
Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Programs (HVIPs) affiliated with U.S. trauma centers often focus on individual behavior modification to reduce re-victimization. There is a lack of reproducible evidence that has demonstrated effectiveness, given the exclusion of addressing social and economic risks, often the root cause of violent injury and preventable homicide. This study tests a novel Medical-Legal Partnership that offers legal support to address social and economic risks, reduce perceived stress, and reduce firearm injury, while collaborating with the CFVP Coordinating Center for broad trauma center distribution and public health impact.
Description
National trauma center verification relies on a commitment to injury prevention efforts, including prevention of community-level violence. Hospital-Based Violence Recovery Programs (HVIPs) have expanded across the country as extensions of Level I and II trauma centers to address trauma recidivism with individual behavioral modification during the "teachable moment". There is no evidence to date that has demonstrated effectiveness in this approach for HVIPs, despite proliferation across the country. A criticism of this approach to violence prevention is the difficulty for community-based violen…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 14+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * Treatment for an interpersonal violent injury at the University of Chicago Trauma Center (e.g., gunshot, stab wound, assault) * Ages 14+ years * Able to provide informed consent (18 years and older) or assent (14-17 years) Exclusion Criteria: * Unable to provide informed consent due to mental status or severe mental illness * Prior receipt of legal services at UCMC within the past year * Currently imprisoned or incarcerated * Residing at a non-Illinois address * Non-English speakers
Interventions
- OtherRecovery Legal Care
These patients will receive support from our HVIP standard of care (Violence Recovery Program) plus our Medical Legal Partnership (Recovery Legal Care) for additional legal support to address health-harming legal needs and public benefits.
- OtherHVIP Standard of Care
These patients will receive HVIP standard of care (Violence Recovery Program Support).
Location
- University of Chicago Medical CenterChicago, Illinois